


Caffeine Trip

by chasethewind



Series: Chase's 12 Days of Christmas 2016 [11]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, F/M, Fluff, Fluffy Ending, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-24
Updated: 2016-12-24
Packaged: 2018-09-11 10:16:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8975500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chasethewind/pseuds/chasethewind
Summary: Anonymous: i got banned from the cafe you work at because “i assaulted an employee” more like your creepy coworker kept slapping your butt whenever he walked past you, so i tripped him over on the way past and he accidentally broke his nose against the tiled floor





	

"Cooper, stop!" the barista behind the counter said for the third time that morning as Oliver sat at his usual spot by the window at the back of the cafe. He'd heard her co-worker slap her behind and had looked up to see the events unfold.

"What?" the guy, Cooper, asked. He gave her a leering smile as he passed, his eyes zeroing in on her ass yet again. "That skirt you got on is way too sexy today. Your butt is just begging for the attention." He winked, making both Oliver and the girl cringe. How could she tolerate that kind of behavior? It was unacceptable at best, sexual harassment at worst.

Oliver knew. Back in his younger days, he'd been accused of it on several occasions. For years, his parents threw money at the problem until they could no longer take it and cut him off. In the last nine years he had gone from a pretentious party boy to the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. With that in mind, he watched the young man continue taunting his co-worker. It made his blood boil, and his hands clenched around his empty coffee cup.

Deciding now would be a good time for a refresher, Oliver got up and headed to the counter, mug in hand. "Excuse me," he politely called the barista over. "Could you top me up?"

"Of course," she replied, giving him a warm, bright smile as she grabbed the cup. The nameplate on her shirt read 'Felicity.' It was the first time he'd really taken a moment to notice the little things about her. Ever since he first found this place about three blocks from his apartment, her charm and cheerful demeanor kept him coming back week after week.

"Would you like any cream or sugar?" she asked, her blonde hair bouncing as she gazed at him over her shoulder while pouring his coffee.

"Two creams and two sugars, please," Oliver answered.

"Coming right up!" she said before dipping under the counter to rummage through what he assumed was a refrigerator beneath it. "You're Oliver, right?" she asked before her head popped up with a small container of fresh cream in her hand.

"I am," he replied.

"I'm not being a creeper or anything. I just notice you always come in here on Saturday mornings to have coffee and work on your laptop in the corner. I tend to remember the names of my regulars since I always put them on the receipts to make my job easier."

"It's the only time I can get some peace and quiet," Oliver said, watching her pour two shots of cream into his coffee before grabbing two packets of the all natural sugar he always requested. He was amazed that she could remember such tiny details and wondered why she was even working as a barista in the first place.

"That seems to be the theme with most of my Saturday customers," she replied. "The library down the street would probably be even quieter."

"But they don't have coffee," Oliver pointed out.

"True that! Cheers to coffee." She stirred together the cream and sugar until they were thoroughly mixed and handed him back his cup. "Black coffee with two creams and two sugars, just how you like." Oliver's smile widened as he reached into his pocket to hand her a few more bills. "Keep it," she said. "This one's on the house."

"Thank you, Felicity," he replied, instead placing the bills in the tip jar beside the cash register.

Her eyes widened as she stared up at him. "How did you…"

"It's on your shirt," Oliver whispered. "You know what, maybe you can answer something for me."

"Okay, shoot."

"Why do you work with such a creep?" he asked, keeping his voice low so Cooper wouldn't hear him.

Felicity let out a deep sigh. "It hasn't been easy, moving to a new city and looking for a job in IT. Nobody's hiring. I've had six interviews since I got here three months ago. Six! Not a single one called me back. I'm starting to think I might just be cursed or something," she explained.

Oliver nodded. "Which companies have you applied to?"

"Um… Palmer Tech, Kord Industries, Merlyn Global, AmerTek, Star Labs, Queen Consolidated, and so many others. It just sucks that I'm stuck working here until I actually get my foot in the door," Felicity said.

Again, Oliver nodded. "Well, I wish you the best of luck," he replied. "Maybe your next interview might land you your dream job," he added, giving her a wink before turning to head back to his seat. Oliver made a mental note to seek out her resume as soon as he went into the office on Monday. Queen Consolidated could use someone like Felicity. She was smart, friendly, and motivated.

Just as he sat down, he heard another slap and looked up just in time to watch Felicity turn around and whack her co-worker in the arm. "That's enough, Cooper!" she quietly hissed, her blue eyes narrowing at him.

Beneath the counter, out of sight from almost everyone else in the cafe aside from Oliver, he grabbed her wrist and held it at her side. "You keep forgetting that this is my cafe and that you work for me, so if you want to keep your job, you better shut up," Cooper sneered. Felicity pulled away from him and turned around, her hands falling to the counter as she hung her head low and took several deep breaths.

Anger turned Oliver's vision red. He couldn't stand to watch Felicity get assaulted any longer. The desire to hurt the little prick that constantly harassed her burned through his veins. As another customer walked up to the counter to place their order, Oliver noticed Cooper making his way out from behind the coffee machines to bus a table that had just emptied out. He knew this would probably be his only opportunity to extract revenge on the little bastard for the way he'd treated Felicity. Oliver stuck his foot out a couple of inches and raised it up as Cooper walked by, effectively tripping him forward.

The black plastic tub Cooper had been holding flew into the air. Oliver watched with unrestrained satisfaction as the guy went down face first, his nose slamming right into the tiled floor. To add insult to injury, the tub fell straight onto his head, forcing his face to hit the ground once more. Cooper groaned in pain as Oliver sat back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest and a smug grin on his face.

"Oh, my god!" Felicity squeaked from behind the counter. She grabbed a towel and started to head toward Cooper as he rolled onto his back and sat up, blood dripping from his nose.

"What the fuck?!" he shouted, wiping it away with his hand before gazing up to find Oliver sitting there, the smirk still on his face.

"Maybe you should watch where you're going next time," Oliver retorted. He began packing up his stuff, slinging his messenger back over his shoulder once his laptop was inside.

"This was all your fault, wasn't it?" Cooper accused as he got up off the floor. He stomped toward Oliver, the anger flashing in his eyes.

"No, you clearly tripped over my foot. You should have been paying attention to where you were walking," Oliver shot back.

"Oh, you think you can come into my shop and talk back to me? Well, guess what, you're not welcome here anymore!" Cooper shouted. "Get the fuck out of my place and never come back here again!"

Oliver shrugged. "Your loss," he replied, stepping past the shorter man as he headed for the door. That only seemed to rile Cooper up even more. He tapped Oliver on the shoulder, and once he turned around, took a swing at his face. He was quick to dodge it, hitting back with a much more practiced punch of his own that landed square on Cooper's jaw. He fell back down to the floor, but quickly jumped to his feet, immediately making a beeline for Oliver.

This time, he couldn't avoid the inevitable. Cooper's punch hit him straight in the stomach, knocking the air out of Oliver's lungs. For the next minute, the two continued swinging at each other until Felicity finally stepped in, yelling, "That's enough!" She pulled the two men apart, throwing them to either side of her spread arms.

"What did I tell you about staying quiet, you stupid bitch?" Cooper shouted back at her.

"You know what?" Felicity answered, her eyes narrowing at him. "I've had it with your shit. I quit!" She pulled off her apron and threw it at him before turning to walk out. Without hesitating, she grabbed Oliver by the arm and pulled him along with her.

They were a block from the cafe when Felicity let go and said, "I'm so sorry about that."

"Wait, why are you apologizing?" Oliver asked.

"Because that dick over there banned you from his shop. I know how much you loved the coffee and the quiet," she answered.

"What if I told you that wasn't the only reason I came in?" he replied, gazing at her sheepishly as they stood facing each other on the sidewalk.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean… It was you," Oliver admitted. "You, with your charm and your wit and your smile. That's why I kept coming back."

Felicity stared at him, her eyes widening as she whispered, "Oh…"

"I know this is a bit forward of me, but I'd really like to get to know you better."

"Wait, are you asking me out on a date?" A smile began to appear on her lips as she cocked her head to the side and stared at him through her dark-rimmed glasses.

"I… No… Maybe… Yes," Oliver stuttered. He had never been this flustered before. Then again, it wasn't everyday he met someone like Felicity.

Her smile grew even brighter as she replied, "Yes, I would love to go on a date with you."

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Yeah," Felicity said. "Although we'll have to go dutch. I'm not exactly a fan of the social norms where a guy has to pay on the first date. And we'll have to pick something cheap considering I kinda just quit my job."

"About that," Oliver interjected. "I have a position open at my company I think you'll be perfect for."

"A date and a job offer?" She sounded skeptical. "What day is it? Christmas?"

"Actually, Christmas isn't for another week, but I honestly am offering you a job."

"Wait, you're serious?"

"As a heart attack."

Again, Felicity's eyes widened as she stared at him for several moments, her pretty pink lips forming a perfect "O". Oliver knew he was pushing his luck. She'd already said yes to a date. Why would she say yes to a job offer as well? She barely knew him aside from his name. What if she thought he was just trying to get in her pants? Oliver silently berated himself for his lack of tact in this situation.

"Maybe that's something we can talk more about during our date," Felicity finally said.

Oliver's head shot up, and they locked eyes. He could see that warm smile still on her face and the gratitude in her eyes. She wasn't saying yes, but she wasn't saying no either. Taking that as a sign from the gods, he nodded, the smile returning to his lips. "Okay," he replied. "Should I pick you up or should we meet somewhere?"

"How about I give you my number and you can call me so we can discuss it later?" she suggested.

"That-that would be great!" Oliver pulled out his phone. Before he even had a chance to open his contacts, Felicity had grabbed it from his hand. Her quick fingers already had her information typed in by the time he realized what was going on.

"And I just sent myself a text from your phone so I have your number too," Felicity said, handing it back to him with a smug look on her face. "I'll see you later, Oliver."

"Bye, Felicity," he replied, waving her off as she turned and headed the opposite direction. Excitement built in his chest as he stared down at his phone and the text she'd sent herself. Oliver couldn't wait to see what would happen on their date.


End file.
